Fastening device for truss and other bands



Oct. 25, 1938. e. T. WALKER FASTENING DEVICE FOR TRUSS AND OTHER BANDS 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 1, 1937 mvgmon G/LBLRT 7/ lOMAS l x/AL BY zATTORNEYS FASTENING DEVICE FOR TRUSS AND OTHER BANDS Filed Nov. 1, 19372 Sheets-Sheet 2 a 5 15 I7 15 14 a 5 6 \6 INVENTOR v GILBERT 7F/0MA5WALKER BY A 'ATTORNEYS G. T. WALKER 2,134,383

Patented Oct. 25, 1938 UNITED STATES PAT NT QF E Gilbert Thomas Walker,Birmingham, England, assignor to Thomas Walker Limited, Birmingham,England, a company of Great Britain Application November 1, 1937, SerialNo. 172,078 In Great Britain July 30, 1937 r Claims.

This invention relates to bands, straps and the like, where the one bandis disposed at an angle to the other, the invention having moreparticular reference to trusses or surgical devices comprising a mainbody band and an auxiliary or under band attached thereto, suchauxiliary or under band usually depending from the main band, so as topass between the legs of the wearer, and being generally attached to aloop or slide passing around and movable along the main band.

The object of the invention is toprovide improved means for connectingthe two bands together in a simple and efficient manner, and so that, inthe case, for example, of truss and like bands, the auxiliary or underband is prevented from sliding or moving along the main body band.

In the preferred form of the invention a fastening device is providedcomprising two pairs of jaws, formed conveniently by a pair of hinged orpivoted together plates, one of the jaws carrying a lever having an armadapted to co-operate with one of the bands to be fastened together andpress it against the opposed jaw, the other arm of the said leverpreferably having prongs or projections adapted also to engage the saidband, and the arrangement is such that the movement of the lever intoits operative position, to press the band against the opposed jaw,serves to press the other jaws towards one another into engagement withthe other band, which may, in the case of a truss, be the main bodyband. Where the device is applied to a truss or like surgical applianceit may be carried by, or prov vided with, a loop or slide extendingaround the main body band, the one pair of jaws lying within the loop,so as to engage opposite sides of the main band, being pressed intogripping engagement with the latter when the lever is actuated.

Figure 1 of the accompanyingdrawings shows a truss in which the mainbody band and the under band are connected together by means of a deviceconstructed in accordance with this inven- 5, tion.

Figure 2 is a front view of the device and of the adjacent portions ofthe truss bands upon a larger scale.

Figure 3 shows the device with the lever moved into its unfastenedposition and the under band detached.

Figure 4 represents a section upon a larger scale on the line IVIV,Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a similar sectional view but with the lever turned back intoits inoperative position, so that both bands of the truss are released.V v

Figure 6 represents a cross-section, upon a larger scale, on the lineVI-VI, Figure 2.

Figure 7 isa cross section on the line VII- V1];

Figure 2. I

Figure 8 is a longitudinal section through the fastening device, withthetruss bands detached, showing the lever in its inoperative position,and the jaws at the one end fully opened the dotted lines indicating theclosed position of the jaws.

Figure 9 shows a perspective view of the improved device.

Referring to the drawings, the truss comprises a main body band I and anunder band 2.which passes between the legs of the user and which isattached at its one end to a fabric loop 3 which passes around the mainband I so that it may be slid or moved along'the latter into the mostsuitable position whenit is desiredto adjust the truss. According to theinvention means are provided for attachingthe under band 2 to the loop 3and also, at the same time, for preventing the said loop from movingalong the main band, excepting when necessary for the adjustment of thetruss. For this purpose a fastening device. is employed comprising twopairs of jaws adapted to be operated simultaneously by means of a singlelever, the device, which is hung from or carried by the loop or slide 3,being arranged so that one pair of jaws engage with the main band I,whilst the under band 2 is gripped between the lever and one of theothertwo jaws. The said device consists of a pair of sheet metal platesdisposed one in front of or above the other and pivoted together nearthe middle, without intersecting, by means of a hinge-pin 4 passingthrough flanges 5 at the edges of the one plate and through lugs 6 onthe other plate, the one half of the latter fitting between the flanges5. The arrangement is such as to provide a pair of opposed jaws 'I andla at the one end of the device, and a second pair of jaws 8 and 8d atthe other end of the same, the plates being so pivoted or hingedtogether that when the jaws 8 and 8a are closed together the other jaws1 and la are moved apart. The side edges of the jaws I and 1a may beturned in slightly to provide narrow gripping flanges 9 and 9a andformed across the outer end of the jaw la. is a transverse slot ID toreceive'the loop or slide 3 of the truss. The two pairs of jaws areseparated by a central gap or aperture ll which extends upon both sidesof the hinge-pin. 4, whilst the jaw 8a is formed with a slot I! toprovide an integral cross-bar l3. Hingedly mounted upon this crossbar I3is a two-armed lever l4 comprising a front operating arm or plate and agripping portion [5 at right-angles thereto. The edge of this grippingportion I5 is formed with teeth or serrations l5a, whilst provided atthe outer end of the front operating arm or plate of the lever areprongs l6 disposed on opposite sides of the bent-out finger-piece l1,and adapted, when the lever is turned down into its operative position,to extend over the inner edge of the jaw 8a of the device, so as toproject into the gap II between the two pairs of jaws. The grippingportion I5 of the lever then extends towards the opposite jaw 8, so thatit lies substantially at right-angles thereto.

The improved fastening device is arranged to be carried by the fabricloop or slide' 3 of the truss which engages over the main band I, andfor this purpose the one end of the loop 3 is inserted, before its twoends have been secured together, through the slot ID in the front jaw 1aof the device and is passed from the front through the aperture ll so asto lie above the hinge-pin 4, the two ends of the loop being broughtdown at the back of the fitting, after the loop has been passed aroundthe main band I, and being then secured together by sewing. The twoupper jaws I and Ta. of the device thus lie wholly within the loop 3, sothat the'fitting is suspended from the latter and the said jaws arearranged to engage the opposite sides of the main truss band I aroundwhich the loop extends. The under band 2 of the truss, on the otherhand, is arranged to be passed between the jaw 8 of the device and thegrippingportion l5 of the lever l4, after the latter has been firstturned into its inoperative position, the end of the said under bandbeing then passed to the front of the fitting through the aperture II,as shown in Figure 5.

When the lever 14 is turned into its inoperative position, illustratedin Figure 5,'the gripping portion l5 of the said lever [4 lies, asshown, closely against the inner face of the jaws 8a, and not only maythe end of the under band 2 be inserted beneath the lever and alsoadjusted according to requirements but the jaws 8 and 8a may be pressedtowards one another as far as permitted by the thickness of the underband 2. This causes the other pair of jaws I and 1a to be opened ormoved further apart so that they may, together with the loop or slide 3,then be moved freely over or along the main band I of the truss. Thus,when the lever I4 is in its inoperative position the under band 2 may beadjusted, or inserted or removed, and the fitting, with the l-oop 3, maybe moved along the main band into the most suitable position. After thetruss has been adjusted the lever I4 is turned down into its operativeposition, as indicated in Figure 4. This causes the part l5 of the saidlever to move into a position at rightangles to the jaw 8 so that theend of the under band 2 is now pressed firmly against the latter,whilst, at the same time, the prongs 16 on the lever are caused topenetrate the material of the said under band, so that the latter isheld securely in place and it is impossible for it inadvertently to moveout of the position into which it is adjusted. The act of turning downthe lever l4 into its operative position, as described, also results inthe jaws 8 and 8a being forced further apart, as will be obvious from aninspection of Figure 4, and consequently the other pair of jaws 1 and 7aof the fitting are moved towards one another, with the result that theyare pressed closely against the opposite sides of the main truss band Iand firmly grip the latter. The fitting, and consequently the loop 3,are thereby effectively prevented from moving around the main band I.

By moving the lever I 4 into its former inoperative position the underband 2 and loop 3 are again freed, and only a single operation isnecessary either to release the under band and loop or to secure thesaid under band and loop in position, either operation being readily andquickly effected.

What I claim is:

1. A device for connecting together two bands, comprising a pair ofspaced plate-like parts hinged together at a point intermediate theirends to form two pairs of opposed jaws at opposite ends disposed so thatthe jaws of the one pair move towards one another when the jaws of theother pair are moved apart, one of the plate-like parts having anaperture formed therein between the pairs of jaws, a lever-grip mountedadjacent the outer edge of one of the jaws of the apertured plate-likepart and comprising an inturned portion adapted to co-operate with theopposed jaw, and an outer portion adapted to lie outside the jaw uponwhich the lever-grip is mounted, said outer portion having teethengageable through said aperture with a band inserted between the jawupon which the lever-grip is mounted and the opposed jaw, said inturnedportion being adapted to hold a band against the opposed jaw to forcethe latter relatively outwards and thereby cause the other pair of jawsto close.

2. A device for connecting together two bands, comprising twopivoted-together spaced members forming a pair of opposed jaws at eachend, said members having apertures formed therein, which are locatedbetween and separate the two pairs of jaws and through which a band canbe passed, and a lever mounted adjacent the outer edge of one of thejaws, the said lever comprising an inturned heel portion adapted toco-operate with the opposed jaw to force the jaws apart and cause theother pair of jaws to close, and an outer portion having projectionsadapted to extend into said apertures in order to grip a band insertedbetween the jaw upon which said lever is mounted and the opposed jaw.

3. A device for connecting together two bands, comprising a pair ofplate-like parts having side portions and being hinged together face toface at a point intermediate theirends to form at opposite ends twopairs of opposed jaws adapted to embrace the respective bands and sodisposed that the jaws of the one pair move towards one another when theother two jaws are moved apart, said two pairs of jaws beingrespectively connected by said side portions of the plate-like partswhich maintain the two pairs of jaws in spaced relation to provide a gapthrough which a loop surrounding one band can be passed, and a leverhinged to the outer end of one of the jaws, said lever comprising aninturned portion disposed between the jaw upon which the lever ismounted and the opposed jaw and co-operable with the latter to forcesaid jaws apart and cause the other pair of jaws to close, and an outerportion having teeth adapted to enter the gap between the two pairs ofjaws and grip a band inserted between said lever-carrying jaw and itsopposed jaw,

4. A device for connecting together two bands, comprising a pair ofplate-like parts having side portions and being hinged together face toface at a point intermediate their ends to form at opposite ends twopairs of jaws adapted to embrace the respective bands and so disposedthat the jaws of the one pair move towards one another when the othertwo jaws are moved apart, said two pairs of jaws being respectivelyconnected by said side portions of the plate-like parts which maintainthe two pairs of jaws in spaced relation to provide a gap, grippingflanges on the side edges of the jaws of one pair, and a lever hinged toone of the jaws of the other pair, said lever having an outer operatingportion and an inturned portion extending between the jaws, saidinturned portion being co-operable with an opposed jaw to force saidother pair of jaws apart and thereby cause the first-mentioned pair to20 close.

5. A device for connecting together two bands, comprising a pair ofplate-like parts having overlapping side lugs hinged together, wherebysaid plate-like parts are interconnected face to face at a pointintermediate their ends to form at opposite ends two pairs of jawsadapted to embrace the respective bands, said plate-like parts havingopposite slots formed therein intermediate their ends to form a throughgap,-a jaw of one pair of jaws having a transverse slot formed thereinnear its outer end, and a lever-grip device pivoted at the outer end ofone jaw of the other pair of jaws, said device-having'a gripping armco-operating with the opposite jaw to grip an inserted band against saidopposite jaw and co-operable therewith to cause the second-mentionedpair of jaws to separate and the firstmentioned pair simultaneously toclose.

GILBERT THOMIAS WALKER.

